States could save lives by sharing ventilators with each other
The expected shortage of mechanical ventilators needed to meet the demand from severely ill COVID-19 patients in the United States has prompted the federal government to lean on private industry to dramatically increase the supply. But ramping up production of complex medical equipment in manufacturing facilities configured for other products will take time that many patients don’t have. Research from Chicago Booth’s Dan Adelman suggests there may be another way to make up a portion of any shortfall in ventilator availability: share them between states.